For immediate release, February 5, 2024
Press Contact: 215-869-4753
Poor People’s Army Wins First Permit to March on the DNC Opening Day
Chicago, IL - On February 5, 2024, the City of Chicago was ordered by an administrative law judge to grant the Poor People’s Army permit to march to the front doors of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024, because the City failed to file a proper denial in time. Every election cycle, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (“PPEHRC,” aka Poor People’s Army) has marched on the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to highlight issues facing poor people that politicians in both parties often ignore.
In the past, permits have always been denied by hosting cities, and proceeded to lengthy legal battles for 1st Amendment Rights. Every 4 years, the national group has held successful, peaceful marches of thousands of people with or without a permit, as memorialized in documentaries like August in the Empire State (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884826/). This time, as expected, the City of Chicago sent out a denial for the Poor People’s Army permit. However, due to the unprecedented error by the City in failing to respond by the deadline listed by the City’s ordinance itself, the City was forced to grant the permit for the march on August 19, 2024 at 4pm from Humboldt Park to the front doors of the DNC at the United Center in Chicago.
“The City was actually held to their own ordinance, they did not properly abide by the response time and ultimately were forced to admit that the permit as submitted on Jan 8… is deemed granted,” said Amanda Yarusso, the National Lawyers Guild attorney representing PPEHRC. (See video after the hearing here: https://youtu.be/BDu93Ep-Pmw?si=_LpntVeXJTlHh4iQ)
“We don’t always win legal battles; we win with people’s power and our feet, marching peacefully with or without a permit,” said Cheri Honkala, national spokesperson for Poor People’s Army. “But we’ll take this legal victory and march straight to the front doors of the DNC. Since we may be the only group given access and proximity to the DNC like this, we welcome other groups and coalitions to join us and make this the biggest march of poor and working people the Democrats have ever seen.”
Poor People’s Army is also marching on opening day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, WI (permit is pending approval), and then marching 100 miles south from Milwaukee to Chicago to build momentum and publicity for the Poor People’s Army March on the DNC on August 19, 2024. More information can be found at https://www.poorpeoplesarmy.org/
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/demonstrators-will-be-allowed-to-protest-outside-dnc-this-summer-due-to-technicality-by-the-city-report-says/
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/demonstrators-will-be-allowed-to-protest-outside-dnc-this-summer-due-to-technicality-by-the-city-report-says/
https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/02/08/poor-peoples-army-can-protest-at-democratic-national-convention-after-city-misses-deadline-to-block-permit/
